Bottled Up
by awolnicki
Summary: Nalu oneshot. All these emotions, and she just keeps bottling them up. Aftermath of a battle. (First upload)


I don't know what to do. He's laying on the ground, he's not moving. I'm scared, my terror is starting to fill the bottle in my stomach making me feel queasy. I reach for his neck, I need to know, will there be a pulse? I keep stretching my arm forward, but I'm just not close enough. I fall, I didn't even know I was standing, conveniently I land just inches away from him. The top of my head just grazes his left shoulder, strands of my locks sprawl out across his arm and chest, the connection contaminates my blonde hair with the red liquid flowing from the grizzly open wound he bares. I guess I had hit my chin on the fall, because I'm seeing stars and they are bright and blurry, I keep my eyes open to avoid fading into the blackness.

"Natsu." I whisper his name too quietly for him to hear me. I'm nervous, even if I was louder would he have heard me, will I be able to get through to him? I add my nervous energy to the bottle in my stomach, it begins to hurt, I'm not sure if that's because I'm laying on it or I have grizzly wounds of my own. I'm concerned, does he feel this pain too, or is it worse?

"Luc…cy?"

That's my name, it comes out almost perfectly, but it's interrupted by a cough, a cough that clears a portion of blood residing in his throat. I'm worried, I store the feeling in the bottle hastily, I must be careful now, my pain is squeezing the densely packed capsule. If I add to it, it just might burst.

"Are you ok?" Is what I want to say, but I can't, and even if I could I know the answer. In this situation it would be a lie to say you were fine, in fact a complete sin to deny the disgusting truth that is no one is fine. I already forgot about my previous mission to reach for his pulse. I seek to think up a new one, think to do something, anything, but trying to move isn't working to begin with. Reaching, currently the only thing I'm capable of doing and is what I proceed to do. I must be in shock, my arm feels no pain, the chunk of flesh missing from my forearm provides proof for the dazed state I believe I'm in. Touching, I have finally grasped something, they're long thin limbs… fingers. I feel them thoroughly, and they're damp. Not a watery damp, a thick damp with a feel of roughness when my palm is connected to the solid surface that is his hand. I know it's his hand but the texture of it makes me wish it wasn't. He is for sure feeling the pain, I wonder, is he also bottling his emotions?

"I'm here." It's all I can say, did it comfort him, I have no idea.

"Are you ok?"

It's the question I couldn't produce before, and it's coming from his mouth. The stars are becoming really blurry now. I don't want to strain the bottle in my stomach any more so I let the feeling of sadness hug my cheeks. My face isn't just covered in ash, gravel and blood but a stream of salty emotion as well. I want to respond, but I can't speak, and I'm tired, my conscious is like a water slide, one slip and your going down, and I just slipped.

I'm unconscious, but processing my thoughts are still possible. I cry out, but no one is going to hear me, my body that only the conscious see is limp, a rag doll that holds organs within it. My inner voice shows that the bottle has finally burst. I scream out again. I yell to the Gods above. I never asked for any of this. Or at least that's what I wanted to be true because I did ask for this, not directly but if you look between the lines, these battles are included with my wish to be a Mage of Fairy Tail. I realize I've said something stupid, what I should be considering is why I am suddenly ok with the undesirable position I'm in. I start listing off reasons why. One, I wanted to be part of Fairy Tail, which is a guild that performs tasks civilians are unwilling to do themselves. Two, I was given the opportunity to do so and accepting knowing what fate might bring me. Three, the thought of my dream becoming a reality was something just short of the feeling when in ecstasy. Four, because he saved me… because of his smile… his offer, I couldn't deny, accepting was one way of repayment. Five, because Natsu Dragneel. Aha! There it is. Why him, because he gave me emotions so strong that just a single one alone would shatter a bottle I tried to stuff it in, and the strongest emotion he gave me, it was love.

Light, so bright, my eyes flutter open, I peer to my right, the window is open and the sunlight is soaking through, reflecting of the white walls and sheets that make up the room I'm laying in. I peer to my left, there's a bed, I assume I'm on one as well. The creases in the blankets tell me someone is resting in it. Pink fibres fill my sight of vision, it's him, he's the only one with and head of pink follicles. I drown the questions of how I got here out with the quick answer of either bystanders or Fairy Tail members brought me to the room. My mission, I remember it now, I flick my sheets back, pain pricks me everywhere, I'm not concerned though. I swing my legs over to the edge and receive a shock when my feet pound against the floor. I slowly shuffle towards the edge of his place of rest. I've just got to complete my mission! I bring my face down and closer to his, it hurts my neck and my thoughts blur. He opens his eyes and blinks slowly twice. I'm looking him dead in the eyes and he returns the stare. I forgot how close my face was to his, my cheeks become warm and a light shade of rose comes to his.

"I wanted to check your pulse."

I dip my head back a bit without breaking our gaze. I bring my hand up and rest it on his neck, I feel it, it is most definitely there, in fact it feels like it's going to tear his skin apart.

" Mission complete." I whisper to my self.

I'm startled, he rests his hand against my cheek. Now I remember, I never responded when he questioned my state during our brief moments on the battlefield. I've hurt him and can visibly tell, because his cheeks are flooded with tears.

"I'm here."

It's the only phrase I can manage to put together, and thus the only noise that comes out of my mouth. I say it quickly too, because if I wanted to say anything else I wouldn't have been able to, as my lips were now occupied by his and not vocabulary. The kiss tasted like water drunk from a stainless steel water bottle. It's an undesirable taste, but in this moment it's what I desired most. The kiss was a simple expression of affection, lasting about twenty seconds but feeling like and infinity, just like all those cliched romance novels said they felt. It was warm, not forced, and moving, because in this moment I made a promise to never bottle any emotion or feeling Natsu gave me. It would be a shame to break millions of metaphorical bottles trying to seal the love I have for him.


End file.
